Remnants of the Falls
by shinrinyokuu
Summary: Every summer after, Dipper and Mabel returned to Gravity Falls - living with Soos, living with Stan and Ford after they came back three years later. Now they're eighteen, and after this summer holiday, they're off to university. It seems perfect; until the new girl arrives and threatens to unravel everything. It's very simple, really; she's trying to free Bill Cipher.
1. Prologue

Eighteen-years-old and cute as a button, Julienne 'Jules' Ambroise made her way through the forest, making weird actions with her arm which teenagers recognised as searching for a phone signal.

She had black hair, ombréd aqua, the fringe brushed in an arch. Hazel eyes scanned the territory. She tugged self-consciously at her blush pink sweater, even though there was no one around to watch. She was wearing black leggings, coupled with red Converse high-tops that crunched on the dead leaves left behind from fall.

There it was. The shape of a stone triangle, complete with an outstretched hand and a top hat. Half of its eye was covered by moss that'd crept over it in the last five years. No one bothered to clear it off. Everyone figured Bill Cipher deserved blindness.

Bill Cipher. It was a little cold for summer, and Jules shivered, but it turned into more a shudder once she remembered the tale the man-child at the Mystery Shack'd told her.

She stopped an inch from the triangle, pausing to admire the intricacy. He was mouthless and eyebrow-less, so she couldn't tell he was feeling - or had felt - any emotion except surprise when he was petrified.

This was her moment. Her moment in the spotlight, for once. Not overshadowed by her older brother Alex's achievements, not spoilt because it'd been done by the legendary Pines twins or Wendy or Old Man McGucket or Robbie Valentino, or any of the Zodiac heroes.

Alex lived in Omaha now. He was twenty years old, studying at UNL. Good.

Her moment. Truthfully, it was a bad moment, because what she was about to do was out of pure spite, revenge and a lust for fame.

She didn't care. She placed her hand tentatively in Bill's outstretched one.

There was a flash. Blue fire crept along Bill's arm, turning it black. It reached his body, turned it yellow, then his other arm, his top hat...

Bill blinked the moss out of his eye, adjusted his top hat, withdrew his hand and floated up, a head above Jules.

"What year is it?" he moaned. It was Jules' turn to blink.

"2017," she replied, bewildered. "Wow. It really _is_ you. Bill Cipher, right?"

"Yessiree, Bill at my own service. And you are Julienned Fries, am I right? Tell me I'm right. I'm always right."

Jules' eye twitched. "Jules. Jules Ambroise. I brought you back...?"

"I noticed. I'm amazing, okay? What for? Pine Tree, Shooting Star, Stitch Heart, Llama...they defeated me before. Your grand plan?"

"Take on a human form," Jules said determinedly. "They'll recognise you if you don't. Or you could hide in a pack of Doritos-"

"Let's go with the human."

"Just morph into something. Don't take over me. I have a great life to live yet. Morph into an eighteen-year-old, like me, like one of my school friends, like a blonde boy. Like an inconspicuous, average, maybe short -"

Bill shrugged, shape-shifted, and Jules had to stop herself from screaming.

He was not average. He was freakin' beautiful, and it really just wasn't fair right then and there.

Silky blonde hair. Fluffier black hair under that. Tanned skin, a few almost-invisible freckles, like makeup, expertly dotted. A collared white shirt, the same bow tie, a teal sweater, dark brown jeans and hipster boots...

"Is this literally your definition of average?"

"It's my definition of beautiful, and you don't have to scream," he smirked, tapping his temple.

"I will hurt you."

"What's your point? So, I sneak into town, then take over Gravity Falls and the world from there? Doesn't seem like much of a plan, Fries."

Jules threw her hands up. "I. Am. Working on it. For now...I'll take you to the Falls. You can stay in our attic. We'll burn the bridges when we come to 'em."

"Anything else you wanna tell me? Like, oh, how are we going to explain ' _Look at Fries' amazingly hot new friend, where did he mysteriously appear from_ '-"

"You keep this up, Cipher, and I will alert every single person in Gravity Falls that you're back," Jules warned. "The Pines twins are coming this summer, like always, but that's it."

Bill raised an eyebrow, placed a hand on her shoulder, nodded sympathetically. "I understand. They'll throw you in prison for reawakening me and then petrify me yet again. That sounds amazing," He whispered in her ear.

Jules glared at him, and if looks could kill...Bill would still be there, because he was a dream demon. It didn't matter to him.

She really should've thought this through.


	2. 1 - Stepping Off The Bus

**_Mabel Pines_**

Mabel stretched, dressed in her customary pink shooting star sweater. She'd outgrown her last one, so she made a new one. Her skirt was a little longer than when she'd last come to Gravity Falls at seventeen, a lilac colour. Her hair was much thinner than when she was twelve, and she reflected on the decision to cut the floofiness out. Now it hung in a braid.

"Dipper. Dipper, hey, wake up!"

"Hmm...Mabel?" Dipper yawned. He'd changed his style. He was in a blue hoodie, half zipped-up, a reddish-orange T-shirt and golden dog tags. His jeans were a faded blue.

"What is...we're here!" He said excitedly. He loved Gravity Falls more than Piedmont, California - their home. At fifteen, a week after school had started, he'd begged their parents to move to Gravity Falls.

They promptly said no.

Dipper grabbed his rucksack and Mabel her purple suitcase. They yelled out a hurried "Goodbye" to the bus driver and practically flew down the steps.

Gravity Falls hadn't changed much since the last time they'd been here - a year ago. The bus stop area was empty except for Stan and Ford's red vintage car, idling across the street. Stan waved lazily, then went back to chatting with Ford.

They were excited about their discoveries in the Arctic. Since they'd retired, they renovated the Mystery Shack - after it was destroyed so many times by zombies, Bill Cipher...it was a little sturdier and there was an extra room for Soos and his abuelita. Stan and Ford spent their days either running around the underground lab studying their finds or getting excited about the sequel to Duck-tective - Goose-tective.

It was literally no better than Duck-tective, but everyone rolled with it. Dipper and Mabel were about to cross the street as the bus drove away, but Mabel noticed someone sitting against a tree, paging through a black hardcover book marked with a yellow triangle on the front cover.

She didn't seem interested in Dipper and Mabel - she only glanced up for a split-second - but Mabel hadn't seen her before, so of course she ran over and smiled at her.

"Hi! I'm Mabel, Mabel Pines. I'm staying in the Mystery Shack with my great-uncles for the summer. Who are you?"

The girl's black bobbed hair, ombréd aqua, shook around her as she smiled at Mabel. The smile was strained.

Pink letter jacket and a canary-yellow T-shirt. White shorts. New black high-tops with rainbow laces. Mabel liked this girl's style.

"Look...I'm in the middle of a book right now, but I'm Julienne. Welcome back to Gravity Falls -" She caught a glimpse of Dipper, tapping his foot impatiently next to the car. "-Pines twins," Julienne finished.

"I've heard about you. I also didn't manage to get much out of anyone, because of this stupid Never Mind About That Act, but a friend told me _everything_. He was really willing to spill."

Mabel laughed nervously. "Well, um, that was five years ago. See you around, Julienne?"

"Please, call me Jules," She flashed a smile, but she was already smiling, so she just smiled bigger. Then she closed her book gently, stood up, brushed the dirt off and left.

 ** _Dipper Pines_**

"Who was that?" Dipper asked as Mabel skipped up. "Her name's Julienne. I think I'm gonna knock around to her house tomorrow."

"Fine by me," Dipper shrugged.

"Are you kids gonna stand there talking forever? We're gonna be seen by someone soon!" Stan yelled from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, yeah," Dipper muttered, opening the car door and sliding in after Mabel. "Another summer!"

"Our last in high school," Mabel moaned. It struck Dipper like a sack of bricks.

"University," he breathed. The twins had miraculously landed themselves in the same university. It wasn't too far from home, and only about seven hours' bus ride from it to Gravity Falls.

It wasn't Backupsmore or West Coast Tech, but it was good enough for the Pines twins. As long as they were together, they could brave anything - except homework. Dipper insisted Mabel use her own mind for that.


	3. 2 - Welcome Back To The Mystery Shack

_**Mabel Pines**_

"You kids solved every mystery in Gravity Fallsby _last_ year, what ya gonna do now?" Stan asked as he helped Mabel with her suitcase.

"Be a normal kid and hang out with Pacifica, Gideon and Wendy?" Mabel smiled.

"Hang out with you and Ford and help with your discoveries?" Dipper asked hopefully.

"Ugh, _Dipper_!" Mabel groaned. "In four years you'll be able to move to Gravity Falls after university - why would you spend summer being geeky?"

"They'll have studied everything by then!" Dipper grunted, heaving his rucksack through the Mystery Shack's door.

"Look, kids, you can feel free to help Stan and I, just don't break anything," Ford grinned, except it was strained, like Jules'. He was obviously in need of some heavy sleep.

"How about this -" Dipper held up a hand just as they were all inside and Stan'd closed the door. "- I spend the morning with Stan and Ford, and then the rest with you and your friends, Mabel?"

" _Our_ friends, Dipper. Oh! I'm gonna go unpack and visit Candy and Grenda!" Mabel cheered, taking the rickety wooden stairs two at a time.

The next day, after the twins had both settled in, Mabel and Dipper popped around to town. It was just after lunch, twelve-thirty-something, and not many people wandered the streets.

Mabel soon located Jules' home, though this may be because she asked everyone who passed. It was a modest two-storey on a quiet street, with peonies in the front yard. Mabel liked peonies. She'd just stopped to smell one while Dipper rang the doorbell, when a blonde boy opened the door.

For one, he was distractingly beautiful. For two, he seemed familiar.

He was Julienne's age, which made him their age, too. Fluffy black hair, overriden by silkier blonde. A collared white shirt with a bow tie and a wooden aqua vest, hipster boots, a single gold earring...

"Hi, I'm Dipper. This is my sister Mabel," Dipper frowned, extending a hand. The boy at the door grinned devilishly and shook it. It might've been a trick of the light, but Mabel was sure she saw the wind push his hair back and reveal what looked like an eye tattoo on the back of his neck.

She put on a happy face and waved. "Hi! We're looking for Jules."

"Fr-oh! Yeah. Jules! Brunette twins here to see ya!" The boy turned and yelled up the stairs. There was a thud, a groan and a "Coming!" before Julienne Ambroise tumbled gracelessly to the bottom of the stairs.

"Graceful," The boy remarked sarcastically.

"Go peel a potato," Jules blushed, shoving him only a little playfully. The boy shrugged and walked away down a corridor.

"So...Mabel! And this is your brother Dipper?" Jules smiled confidently. Her hair was wavier than Mabel remembered. She was wearing the same pink letter jacket and shirt, but this time she had blue shorts with her rainbow-laced high-tops.

"Yeah. I'm Dipper. Mabel wanted to swing by your house and see if you wanted to hang out with Wendy, Gideon and I," Dipper fidgeted uncomfortably. Either he had a crush on Jules already, or he just wanted to go see Wendy and Gideon again.

It was probably the latter.

"Now? Like, now-now?" Jules frowned.

"Yeah, we're gonna play Spin the Bottle and Truth or Dare and spin on the merry-go-round even if we're too big, so fast Candy's gonna fly off and-"

Jules cut Mabel off before she could finish. "That sounds great, really, b-"

Both of the Pines twins gave hopeful looks.

"-ut I just gotta get my phone and then we can go," She smiled. Not only were the Pines twins abnormally kind, Jules also figured they were better at manipulation than Bill.

Or she was just worried she'd let them down. Also, probably the latter.

 _ **Julienne Ambroise**_

Jules was having a good day.

She'd woken up to Bill sitting on her bed, munching on fries. She was really starting to hate that.

"Get off my bed."

"Here, have my fries," Bill grinned wolfishly.

"That isn't helping. That is most definitely not helping."

"Aw, you got a big day today! The Pines twins are meant to come around, right?"

"Why is that a big deal to you?" Jules asked, annoyed. She sat up and shoved Bill onto the floor so she could properly rise. "It's not like you have a crush on one of them."

Awkward silence. Bill shook his head, too fast, so Jules didn't notice the blush.

"Wait. Wait. You do-?"

"Nope, bye, I'm out," Bill said, backing away into the wall.

"The door's to your right."

"I knew that."

Which was a good start to the day. Fries for breakfast probably would upset her mother, but she was working that day, and her father was in Canada with his new wife and kids.

The playground was for little kids, but Mabel _was_ a little kid deep down in her - probably oversized - heart. They met with an athletic redhead - Grenda - a smaller Korean girl with cat-eye glasses - Candy - a boy with freckles, a Southern accent and white hair - Gideon - and a blonde girl in purple and a beaming smile - Pacifica.

They were all too happy and positive to be real.

Except Gideon and Pacifica. Traces of their snooty, rich old life and the whole summoning Bill Cipher thing stayed with them. Jules liked that. She stuck close to them through the entire affair.

Mabel liked scratch 'n' sniff stickers.

Dipper was into the Famous Five.

Grenda had an Austrian boyfriend.

Candy used to like Sev'ral Timez.

And all this she could tell Bill over spaghetti and juice at lunch. They had no idea how much they were being used - and that was useful, so Jules elected not to reveal her true nature until it was absolutely necessary - like if they were dying.

They wouldn't die. Bill would never kill anyone just for the heck of it. That was sadistic and psychopathic. Right?


End file.
